


And They Were Roommates

by reluctantOracle



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Enemies to enemies that bone, F/F, Kismesis, Multi, Trans Character, University AU, kismessitude
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-14
Updated: 2019-07-14
Packaged: 2020-06-28 02:16:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19802668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reluctantOracle/pseuds/reluctantOracle
Summary: Rose Lalonde is ready to start a new life, independent of the overbearing guardian she has been in conflict with for her entire childhood. She is ready to find herself, or whatever they tell you you're supposed to be doing at university. She's planned first year out perfectly, and is prepared for whatever newly adult life may throw at her.Apart from, of course, Vriska Serket.





	And They Were Roommates

**Author's Note:**

> all my characters are trans unless stated otherwise i dont like cis people

Rose Lalonde had never been one to allow herself to be bested by anything. Be it a new hobby (as enthusiastically abandoned as they had been mastered) or an elegant and scathing game of wits, she prided herself on being able to independently conquer anything she put her mind to. 

Saying that, these stairs were a nightmare. 

She’d left her mother as a weeping mess in the car with a promise from the chauffeur that she would be returned home safely. It had been enough of an ordeal trying to haul the boxes out of the boot with her loudly demanding someone ‘help her precious daughter on this most important of days, really what kind of gentleman lets a lady carry her own suitcase, honestly, do people not know how stressful today can be, come on Rosie dearest…’, and in the end Rose had practically wrestled her into the backseat and gave her a begrudging kiss on the forehead, before promising to call soon and slamming the door in her face.   
The chauffeur gave a small smile and nod in the rearview mirror as he pulled away, passing back a handkerchief as he went. Rose watched them leave until the car was lost among the crowds of new students and their families, arms folded and boxes piled at her feet. She bet the woman would stop crying as soon as they were clear of the premises, she thought to herself. That’s just the kind of show she would put on for everyone else here. 

A voice from beside her broke the contemplative silence she had fallen into. The owner was a little older than her, wearing a plain white T-shirt and a smile that made her grit her teeth instinctively- all sleaze and no substance. He ran a hand through slicked back hair. ‘Hey there darlin,’ he said, standing just too close for comfort. She noticed that he wasn’t wearing the lanyard that indicated he was a student volunteer. ‘What kind of gentleman would I be if I didn’t help such a fine young lady find her room?’ 

Rose didn’t speak as she piled up as many of her possessions as she could into her arms. She couldn’t really see over the top of them, but it didn’t matter. She was five foot two and she could lift as many boxes as she wanted, thank you very much. She strode past him, feeling a slight rush of satisfaction as his face fell, and somehow managed a shrug. His face twisted as though her were about to speak, but she was already moving. 

‘I’m good.’ 

As much as she was grateful for the freedom from overbearing associates and peers, a victory for feminism wasn’t really helping her navigate the three flights of stairs that stood between her and the floor her room was on. She’d managed to nab a trolley from somewhere on the ground floor, but all this seemed to do was make her ascent even slower as she hauled it laboriously round every corner and through the narrow hallways. Her eyes were locked ahead of her as she progressed, ignoring the sounds of families unpacking around her. 

The satisfaction as she reached the top floor almost made the sweat forming on her brow worth it. Almost. 

Her room was the second door on the left, still locked. She dropped the trolley handle with a glare, as though it would consider her scathing disapproval and begin to reevaluate its priorities accordingly. The key stuck a little in the lock, and it took some wiggling before it would turn and allow her entry. She wondered if she ought to bring that up with whoever was in charge of maintenance. Then again, she couldn’t see any reason why ten extra seconds in the hallway would cause any harm. 

The door got precisely three inches before it thudded against something solid on the other side. Rose frowned. She had been under the impression that the rooms would be emptied and cleaned before they moved in. Perhaps a staff member had left a vacuum in the rush to get everything prepared.   
Her musings were interrupted as she forced her way inward and discovered that, rather than a household cleaning appliance, the object blocking her entrance was in fact an overflowing box. 

‘What the fuck is wrong with you? Do you just kick over everyone’s shit as soon as you see it?’   
Moving from the bed to beside her almost too fast to register, a young woman appeared and stood between Rose and the rest of the room, tall and imposing. Her hair was a wild mess of bleach blonde around her shoulders, with a sharp face that twisted into an even sharper grin. One of her eyes was a deep blue. It didn’t move with the other. Rose blinked, face carefully blank.   
‘I wasn’t aware the room would be occupied.’ She said, ‘none of the other rooms have been locked if there are people in them.’   
‘Yeah? Maybe I don’t want to be bothered.’

Rose resisted the urge to roll her eyes. ‘I assume we are to be rooming together for the year?’ she asked. Her voice was high and clear. Confident. The woman sneered down at her. She was almost a foot taller than Rose, and taking full advantage of it.   
‘Pride yourself on your powers of deduction, do you?’   
‘Pride yourself on getting in the way?’ she shot back, taking a step forward. She was really bored of being in this hallway. ‘As much as I appreciate and even to some degree respect this display of authority, I really do need to start unpacking. Do you mind?’   
The woman regarded her for a moment, as though she was wondering if it would be worth slamming the door in her face. Finally, she turned and was back on her bed, kicking her feet up onto the mattress with her converse still on. Rose moved the box away from the door with her foot slowly, feeling the glare burn into her skull.

The rest of the room wasn’t impressive, but probably would have looked more spacious had the floor not been similarly decorated with unpacked possessions. She picked her way through the mess carefully, unable to resist making a mental note of everything she could see. Her new roommate liked to make herself known, apparently. And everything she owned seemed used, well-loved, or slightly battered. And a lot of it was shiny. She catalogued this carefully for future reference. You never know.

‘So.’ She made it to her side of the room and put her hands on her hips. ‘What can I call you? It feels wrong that we’d go so long without a formal introduction. I’m Rose Lalonde.’  
‘Ooh, I’m Rose Lalonde.’ Came the mocking reply. Then a laugh, harsh and brittle. ‘Vriska.’   
‘Well, Vriska, it’s nice to meet you. Might I ask if you were considering clearing up at all? Like I said, I appreciate a display of personal autonomy, but we might want to begin this relationship with a degree of cooperation.’   
Vriska shrugged. ‘My room, my rules. Nothing is on your half.’

With a slight grit of her teeth, Rose realised she was right. It was a mess, but it all ended almost in a straight line down the centre of the room. Almost as though someone had taken the time to deliberately organise the boxes and piles to only cover fifty percent of the carpet. Almost as though someone had done it deliberately.   
Rose began to pull out clothes from her suitcase and organise them in her wardrobe. She couldn’t resist a small smile.   
‘Fair play.’


End file.
